Improvement in stills for petroleum



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Patentedf0c t. 30, 1866.

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ALLEN LAPHAM, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOB JOHNSON.

IMPROVEMENT IN STILLS FOR PETROLEUM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,3 l 7, dated October 30, 1866.

Figure 1 is a veriical longitudinal section of my improved still, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference denote the same parts.

In the distillation of petroleum the crude oil becomes less and less as the charge is worked off, which allows the vapors to come in contact with the heated sides of the still, and tends to char and discolor the vapors and the distilled oil. Besides this, the still is liable to become, injured by too great heat actin g above the surface of the petroleum.

The nature ofmy said invention consists in an arrangement of fines, dampers, and tubes whereby heat is applied only to those portions of the still that are below the level of the petroleum therein, so that neither the still nor the products of distillation are injuriously affected, and the heat from the fire is turned 06 from the upper fines as the level of the liquid descends.

In the drawings, a represents a furnace formed of brick-work b, sustaining a still, 0. d is a pipe to the condenser, as usual, and c is a man-hole plate.

The still 0 is made narrow at the bottom, with Vertical sides at f, set in the brick-work I), the upper cylindrical portion of said still setting upon the brick-work, as seen in Fig.2. Through the still the pipes or fines g g and h h pass.

a is an ascending fine, and 7c is the main chimney. l, m, a, 0, and. r are dampers between the respective fiues and chimney.

When a charge of crude oil is put in, the dampers l and r are to be closed and all the other dampers left open. Hence the fire and heat pass below the boiler through the fines g g and h h to the chimney it. When the liquid descends to about the line 1, the dampers n and o are to be closed, and the products of combustion pass off by the fiue t', the damper r being opened; and when the liquid is evaporated so that it stands at about the level 2, the damper m is to be closed and the damper lopened, which allows the heat to pass only under the bottom of the still and pass off by the fine or chimney k.

By this arrangement I am enabled to prevent the vapors coming into contact with heated metal, because the heat is kept below the level of the oil, and as the petroleum or other oil is evaporated it is brought into a smaller compass in the lower part of the still.

The pipes g and h may be increased or decreased in number according to the capacity of the still.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The arrangement of the fines g and h and dampers, applied to the still 0, substantially as set forth, for preventing the stil becoming heated above the liquid therein, for the purposes set forth.

2. Forming the lower portion of the still over the fire narrower than the upper portion, as shown, and combining therewith the fines g, as and for the purposes set forth.

. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 25th day of July, 1866.

ALLEN LAPHAM.

Witnesses GEO. D. WALKER, Tnos. GEO. HAROLD. 

